Abstract [en]

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the representation and application of gender and ethnicity in two video-games released in the last ten years. One of them released 2014 and the other 2017. This was done by a qualitative analysis of both games and by comparing how representation of gender and ethnicity is handled in each one. The analysis sought to determine if and how the characters’ gender and ethnicity affected the way they interacted with each other. The theories and research that was used as basis for the study showed that video-games historically had an unequal amount of gender and ethnicity among characters and that it in a high degree affected how a character was portrayed. The games analysed in this study both showed more equal treatment of both male and female characters than the norm. The gender of the character had very little to do with how they were portrayed although it did matter somewhat more in the older game than the new one. In neither of the games was ethnicity observed as a factor in how a character was portrayed or treated. The newer game was somewhat more inclusive when it came to ethnicity as it was with gender. In general it is clear that the newer game is more progressive than the older one which hints about the development of the gaming industry.